Skip to main content

Lighthouse Report

Good morning everyone. Another great day of sailing. What can I
say... it is all good!

Starting out from Fort Point at 1100 and beating upwind to Camden can
make for a really long day. We were very lucky to catch a little bit
of an easterly slant on the wind and managed to get up the West Bay
(that is the part of the bay just west of Islesboro) in jig time.
The wind came up to 15 -18 knots just as we were conducting a "man
overboard" drill. The crew scrambled to take in the jib topsail in
the building breeze and the schooner was hove to like a champ. The
yawl boat Arno is our rescue craft and Becki and Sara were off to
save the victim fender once again. Sara even provided CPR on the
return trip. The boat was hauled clear of the water and away we
sailed with darkening clouds in the western sky. The radio crackled
with warnings from the National Weather Service about severe
thunderstorms. I hate thunderstorms. Talk about a sitting duck.
Our radar picked up some light rain; nothing too crazy but I wanted
to get to a nearby secure anchorage just in case.

We sailed right up to the anchor in Gilkeys Harbor just as the rains
became more serious. Awnings up, we retired to the main cabin for
Ted's slide show about lighthouses. A roast pork dinner with all the
trimmings and hand cranked ice cream for dessert. Does it get any
better? Actually yes, Our assistant cook Jake pulled out his dobro
guitar and played some very good music. Now that is a windjammer
cruise.... good people, good food, good sailing, good music. Last
night we had a spectacular light show as lightning flashed in the
clouds all around us.

To complete our adventure we have a light fog and an easterly wind
this morning to sail home in. We call it atmosphere. How romantic.
And with any luck we will find the bell off of the Curtis Island
Light and be safe in the harbor by noon.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

Anonymous said…
The Light House cruise was full of fun, laughter, great food, good sailing and convivial fellow guests. Barry, Jen and crew did a masterful job of making our four days truly GRAND. This is a great themed cruise-sign up.

Dudley
Anonymous said…
A poor day sailing beats a great day at work, (for most of us), any day!
Anonymous said…
Question:
Is there such a thing as a "poor day of sailing"?

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

Swimming Anyone?

Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se...

Black Dots Make Me Smile

Good morning everyone. Happy Ground Hogs Day to all. If today’s forecast comes true folklore tells us we will see an early spring here in our neighborhood. What does the groundhog say about your weather forecast? We start a new month, albeit a short one but a month in which we gain an emotionally crucial 1 hour and 13 minutes of light. By months end the sunrise will be at 0620, a full 37 minutes ahead of this morning. Jen and I were shocked how light it was so early yesterday even though it was overcast. So while the weather is one thing we spend much time talking about the light is what really makes the psychic difference here. One of the things you will find me talking about in blogs, especially in summer, is seals. We have more lousy, unfocused pictures of little black dots on the ledges and every one of them makes me smile. Each picture reminds us how delighted we are to see seals. Harbor seals (phoca vitulina) are the most common seal here in Maine and their numbers have gr...